Friday, January 30, 2009

Talk about an undertaking that I was definitely not prepared for. A few days ago, I started trying to collect what each network was planning on Super Bowl Sunday, and I was not prepared for the amount of work the following schedule of events would take. Either way though, you can view it in all of its glory below. I've got everything from celebrity guest appearances, to segments on each network, as well as your particulars on the game itself. Enjoy!

(FYI- Haven't settled on a live-blog or open thread for the Super Bowl, but I'll certainly have something going on)

Today Show Coverage - "Meredith Viera, Al Roker and Ann Curry will give viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the sights, sounds, parties and food of the big game as well as the preparations that go into Super Sunday. They will also explore the city of Tampa and experience the local Super Bowl fever. Tiki Barber will get a VIP tour of the stadium from his twin brother Ronde, who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."

12PM-6PM:

"ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL": "Bob Costas will kick off NBC's pregame coverage live at Noon ET from the "Pirate Ship"."

HAIL TO THE CHIEF: "NBC News' Matt Lauer will sit down with President Barack Obama for a live interview from the White House during NBC's Super Bowl Pregame Show."

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: "Bruce Springsteen, who will be performing at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII, will be the subject of an exclusive sit-down during pregame with Bob Costas. Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, a native of the Jersey shore, is contributing an essay on his idol Springsteen in the pregame show."

COVER ME: "Among the features in the Super Bowl XLIII pregame show are segments on the Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald; features on Mike Tomlin, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, beloved defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers; analysis of each team with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who analyzed game film with Collinsworth; and a look at what the players experience during Super Bowl week. Rodney Harrison will analyze how to defend the seemingly unstoppable Fitzgerald."

"LITTLE BIG SHOW": "Olbermann and Patrick, who together redefined sports highlights, will break down the best highlights from the AFC and NFC this season."

BACK STAGE PASS: "NBC will follow the Cardinals and Steelers throughout the lead up to the game, from the team hotels, to the team buses, to the first-ever Super Bowl pregame reports from the locker rooms, to the teams' sidelines."

TOP CHEF: "Tom Colicchio from Bravo's Top Chef, will join Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis in judging a "Cook-Off" between previous "Top Chef" contestants exploring the cuisines of Arizona and Pittsburgh."

GATORADE SHOWER: "CNBC's sports business reporter Darren Rovell will take a look at Gatorade and its iconic presence in the Super Bowl."

"LET THE SUNSHINE IN": "The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore will provide updates on the weather from Tampa throughout the pregame."_________________________

History (10am)- "In their own voices, the two Super Bowl XLIII quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner, narrate their team’s paths to the Super Bowl and the history that will be made."

Cardinals Turning Point (10:30am)- "Rachel Nichols reports on Whisenhunt’s decision to toughen up his team by practicing in pads once-a-week, a move that Arizona players say was the turning point to their season and improbable playoff run."

Mike Tomlin’s Formative Years (11am)- "In an old red notebook that sits on his mother’s kitchen table are pictures and hand-written captions describing early moments in the young coach’s path to the NFL. The first page reads: “This is a book about football and how it has molded my character, Michael Pettaway Tomlin 3-15-72.” Jackson speaks with Tomlin about his childhood memoirs."

Mayne Event: Offseason Insanity (11am)- "Kenny Mayne embarks on a mission to discover what other players are doing during their off-season, catching up with Pro Bowlers Jared Allen and Wes Welker as they begin their winter “retreats”."

Namath’s Guarantee (11am)- "Jeremy Schaap reports on the circumstances that led to Namath’s famous proclamation."

“Soundtracks” – AFC Championship (11:30am)- "Countdown will re-live the sights and sounds of the game"

Super Bowl Quarterback Blueprints for Success (11:30am)- "Former Super Bowl quarterbacks Dilfer, Jaworski and Young will present the blueprints for success for both Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner."

Big Ben: Stand & Deliver (12pm)- "Tom Jackson sits down with Roethlisberger and his teammates to discuss how “Big Ben’s” style of play means big risk, but comes with big reward."

Larry Fitzgerald: Memories of Mom (12pm)- "Cris Carter sits down with the Arizona wide receiver to discuss how he honors his mother on the field and how her death has affected him."

The Terrible Towel (1pm)- "Greg Garber traces the history of “The Terrible Towel” and the charity which benefits from the sales of the towel even after [Myron] Cope’s death last year._______________________

With all those hours of coverage, no wander whay NBC has that many poepel working the pre-game show. And I'm a bit surprised that Bob Costas is not hadneling the trophy presentation but instead its the newcomeer Dan Patrick.

They focus too damn much on the quarterbacks and not enough on the teams. If we're going to do that, why not reduce the Super Bowl to a punt, pass and kick competition between Ben and Kurt? That's all the networks seem to give a damn about anyway (e.g., the incessant quarterback reaction shots when their team isn't even on offense!).

Sal Palantonio was on Mike & Mike this morning about 9:20. Sal referred to Heath Miller as Heath Shuler about five times before Greenberg corrected him. "Heath Shuler is Big Ben's saftey valve". If by "safety valve" you mean one of the greatest busts in NFL draft history, then yes, he is a safety valve.

No shocker here: Super Bowl XLIII was far and away the ratings winner for the week ending Feb. 1. The big game drew an average of 98.7 million viewers and 151.6 million total watchers.Source:http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds2.feedburner.com%2Fgoogle%2FJGYV?source=email